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The Last Oprah Winfrey Show

There will be no surprises on the series finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show, promised the Queen of Talk when she took the stage for a final time. Unlike the two previous days, when over 20,000 fans gathered in Chicago to cheer celebrity cameos that included Madonna, Maria Shriver and Tom Hanks, the closing program was a more intimate affair than most expected.

On the air for 25 years and over 5,000 episodes, Winfrey appeared on a bare stage, showing clips of past shows, outfits and hairstyles, and spoke directly to the audience. “It is my love letter to you,” she said of this last show, to all the fans, Twitterers, Facebookers and those that tuned in on TV over the years. “Not even I imagined this show would have the reach that it’s had.”

Winfrey, known for a feel-good message and penchant for self-improvement, used the final hour to teach one last lesson. “This is what I was called to do,” she said. “A calling lights you up and lets you know you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.” She asked the audience to find their own calling and platform, saying they too had more influence than they knew.

She even took a turn for the spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical: “What is life?” she asked. “Energy. You’re responsible for the energy that you create.” She later spoke about the presence of God in her life, and finally choked up when she talked about her rocky upbringing.

Winfrey certainly has come a long way, and has proven a golden touch. Over the years, she amassed a personal fortune of $2.7 billion, making her one of just six self-made female billionaires in the U.S. Her last show may have been an ode to the fans but it also racked up a reported $1 million per 30-second ad. And commercial breaks flowed as often as the tears.

Whether Winfrey will reinvent herself again on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), the five-month old, struggling 24-hour cable network, remains to be seen. Her final words to the fans: “I won’t say goodbye. Until we meet again.”

It’s a nice cliffhanger. And I expect we will.

The Last Oprah Winfrey Show
Reviewed by Lori Stewart
on
12:48:00 PM
Rating: 5